Non-Constituency Member of Parliament of the Workers' Party, Leon Perera has announced that he is stepping down from the advisory board of The Independent Singapore (TISG) with immediate effect.

With Mr Perera's departure from the advisory board, only one other member remains, Mr Edmund Wee, who is the managing and creative director of Epigram.

Apart from stepping down from the advisory board, Mr Perera states that he is currently in the process of divesting his shareholding in the company that operates TISG to the other existing share-holders.

Mr Perera reiterates that he was not involved in the operation or management of TISG.

However, he explains that his decision is to ensure that any perceived link to TISG does not distract public attention when policy positions are taken by the Workers' Party, particularly on issues related to media regulation.

He further notes that his recent appointment as Deputy Chair of the WP Media team also makes this a necessary move for him to take this step.

TISG is currently under investigation by the police after the Election Department filed a police report against the media outlet for an alleged violation of the Parliamentary Election Act during the Bukit Batok By-Election Cooling-Off Day.

Democracy is best served by having an informed and involved citizenry that has access to a wide range of sources of news and views and an open and vibrant environment in which to share and to debate ideas and opinions.